hi guys, i've planning to go buy a Nikon D90 DSLR with 18-105mm VR Lens and 70-300mm VR Lens (it was a package deal)... iam 90% sure iam going to buy this camera cause my dad has some old nikon lens' that i can probably re-use... i want to take some decent badminton photo's...iam a newbie photographer and this will be my first SLR, any suggestions or tips you can give me? thanks~
I also have a D90 with 18-200 lens and am quite happy with it. Have not tried it with badminton photos, but there is a link to a blog where the user used the D90 to test badminton photos. Check the threads WB headache while shooting badminton or Alternative photos for more details on photo shots in badminton. PS: found the thread with the blog link - http://www.badmintoncentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=63317
unless you have an unusually bright badminton court (read, at least stadium level lighting), then you will need lenses with f/2.8 or faster (ie. lower number). ideally, you should have f/2 lenses. anything above f/2.8 are pretty much going to be worthless when it comes to badminton shooting. that's the harsh reality. after that, then we talk about AF speed of the body. D90 should be OK. not the best but probably adequate.
The D90 has a crop factor of 1.5 and has its own line of lighter and smaller lenses to match its sensor size. This is good. However, its line of lenses are no speed king except for the normal 35mm (equiv 52mm on a 35mm basis), which is f/1.8. You will have to be quite near the subject using this lens. Its only f/2.8 zoom lens is 17-55mm f/2.8 (equiv. 26mm-82mm), which should be adequate. Also the long term viability of the DX format may be questionable, as it is being squeezed from the bottom by the Four Thirds format and the top by the Leica S-2 and its future followers. The Four Thirds format is in safer territory. It has a cropping factor of 2, not much worse off than 1.5. But it has considerable weight savings and exceptionally fast lenses of all types, from wide to zoom to prime lenses, all easily boasting an f/2 lens speed. It is also an industry standard, not a brand standard. However, if you must go with the D90, consider getting a second hand purchase.
Taneepak you dont HAVE to use DX lenses on a DX camera. FX lenses can be used too, eg 50 1.8, which is even cheaper than the 35 1.8, and actually quite decent for budget amateur badminton photography. Surely you dont really think the leica size (>FF) would become a standard? This is a small niche superexpensive manufacturer we are talking about. The price of large areas of silicon will not fall fast. You omitted to mention 35mm, which surely has a greater chance of success than leica S2 size? I wonder about the uptake of Four Thirds as a format, I have seen far more DX than Four Thirds cameras around. I dont think there are that many second hand D90 floating around yet. The D90 has good high ISO, which is key in badminton photography. AF speed is nice to have, but it really doesnt take that long to AF, with the added bonus that the distance the focus has to change is not that far anyway. If you already have a supply of nikon lenses (esp good ones), then nikon is a no-brainer. If you cant get a D700, then D90 is your next best bet to get high iso.
Nikkor FX lenses are optimized for the 35mm full-frame sensor. Using them on a smaller sensor body is not optimal. Besides the FX lenses are bigger and heavier. It is like using Hasselblad lenses on a 35mm camera. I believe Nikon advises against using FX lenses on their D90, although they say it is ok to use the smaller DX lenses on their full-frame body as the camera's full sensor will down-size to read the smaller image of the DX lens.
my suggestion still stands. taneepak's suggestion is not realistic here. you simply cannot tell people that the Leica S2 is the way to go when most people's budgets are under $2000. besides, we have been actively taking badminton photos for years. the last time taneepak taken badminton photo was probably in the 70s with his Leica on a tripod shooting at 1/60s.
Sorry Taneepak but I have to disagree with what you said. While I'm not using Nikon but I think its not an issue to use FX lens on crop body. Yes technology will always advance and evolve but to say Leica S2 is the future and crop factor and 35mm(mentioned on other thread) is in bad position is entirely not true in my opinion. How many people will get S2 when they are not even a pro/photographer (even pro more likely consider 35mm than the S2 at this point of time)? In regard Micro fourthird lenses, I don't think its a good choice for badminton. Yes they do have some fast primes but so do FX or DX or EF primes, why 4/3 instead of the other slr lens? also the AF speed might be a big disadvantage for 4/3, the latest Panasonic GH1 is pretty amazing but still no where near mid-high end dSLR with fast prime. In my opinion for redsun615, the best option at this point will be D90, this body with some fast prime will give you good starting point to take badminton photo and to learn more about photography. (D700 is amazing camera, it has 35mm (FF) sensor but cost you much more compared to D90, unless you plan to go FF or have alot of $$ to burn then D90 will be better choice)
redsun615, Sorry, made a mistake regarding the link on the D90 with photos taken on badminton court. The tester used D90 and Sigma lens 30 1.4 - http://dslr-video.com/blogmag/?p=456 There are badminton (and non badminton) posted in the forum taken by other members and they will be willing to share their knowledge. Just browse around. I am happy with my D90. Have been playing with it and there a lots of stuff to learn. Good luck.
Some links for you.. First off, redsun615, welcome to the world of badminton photography & photography! Second, your main reason of getting a Nikon, because your dad has some old nikon lenses that you can re-use, makes some sense. Hopefully they're AF type lenses, though. Anyway, here is a link showing some baddy pics of D90's sister camera, D70. Pretty good samples.. http://www.flickr.com/photos/joits/sets/72157600041895945/ And as far as for purchasing the camera body itself, i'd suggest searching in either for used ones, if you'd like: www.craiglist.com or at http://www.keh.com/onlinestore/home.aspx (it's a site for used photog equipments. I know you're not in the U.S., but at least it's closer to you if you'd want to purchase from there) Best of luck to you in your quest and new hobby..
thanks for the posts guys, my dad just told me his old lens is a nikkor 50mm, f/1.4, no AF and is mountable on my d90....what settings do i need to fully use the lens?
^^Hmm..^^ ..it's still useable but it'll be a bit more challenging to focus without any AF. If you can get an AF version, it'd help you a lot. Settings, as in your camera settings to take the pics? Usually indoor baddy actions will use ISO 1600. And depending on the amt of light available, that no. could go up or down. With an aperture max. opening of f/1.4, i would guess your shutter speed will vary between 1/800 to 1/1000 or higher.
chris, i've just found out the meter of a d90 won't be able with nikon ai/ais lenses. so, if redsun615 has got lots of old nikon mf lenses. d90 might not be a perfect choice. just wanna add a few more words on nikon mf lens. you may notice that it's quite difficult to focus with an af lens manually. it's because of its design. (very short rotating distance from nearest to infinity!) that provides a better envoirnment to a machine for getting a faster focusing action. so, in order to get an object in focus manually. we always need to rotate the focus ring back and forth for a few times! but for mf lenses. we hardly need to turn the focus ring back and forth again and again! coz the rotating distance of its focus ring is much much longer! therefore, don't be afraid to use them. they are easy to use!
^^Yeah..^^ ..that's possible. I did experiment with MF on an AF lens and it's not as easy as i would like it to be, esp. when taking baddy pics w/people moving. I guess it'll be up to redsun615 to find it out himself. Btw, going back to redsun615's 2 zoom lenses that he's planning to get, unfortunately those wouldn't be fast enough for baddy action pics. Thus, most likely you'd have to get another lens, most likely a prime (50 mm), that is fast enough to take your baddy action pics.
Hey guys, i have an opportunity to borrow a friends Nikon D2H, but its body only. Im considering renting lenses, or buying one, but trying to keep the budget down. Is the Nikon 50mm f1.8 going to be a sufficient for badminton? The cost is about $130, or I could end up renting a 50mm f1.4 as suggested here for bout $22 a weekend. I'd rather buy since I may end up shooting for more than a weekend of course.
^^Go for it..^^ ..50mm f/1.8 is a start... Oh, wait, are you going to get a camera body yourself?? If you're not, then just rent the lens.. If you're going to get a camera body & lens for yourself then check craiglist in the SF area for deals...
haha ya ...i've bought the camera for a couple months now...and yea those lens arent fast enough...iam planning to buy the 50mm f/1.4....should i get the one thats AF or AF-S? is the AF-S worth the extra $200 CAD?